Rampage face tough road ahead

The Rampage are in a funk. They are 2-3-0-2 in their last seven games after starting the season 2-0.

They are getting excellent goaltending from Josh Tordjman and David LeNeveu, but the scoring has tailed off as their schedule has engulfed them. San Antonio has lit the lamp 19 times in the seven games, which puts pressure on the defense and netminders to keep the enemy at bay.

As we have seen in the past, this gameplan is doomed to failure. In many ways, offense is your best defense in the AHL and getting less than 3 goals a game is a recipe for mediocrity.

Specialty units have has their ups and downs for the Rampage. San Antonio’s power play was 1-15 Sunday.

1-15! Ok, the power play unit was on the ice more than the even-strength units, and since many skaters on the PP also take their regular shift, and given the team was playing its fifth game in six nights, we can cut them some slack.

However, the Page was 3-28 going into the Sunday matinee, and that leaves that unit at 4-42 in its last five games going into tonight’s action against Syracuse. That has got to change.

On the bright side, the Rampage penalty killers have been just that — killers. The anemic Houston powerless play was 0-13 on the weekend against San Antonio. The Chicago Wolves, with the top man advantage squad in the AHL, did score four power play goals in the two games in Allstate Arena. But Friday, the Wolves went 2-14 and the Rampage PK has allowed only two power play goals in the last four games against teams other than the Wolves.

Now, with some daylight between games coming up, perhaps the team will regain its legs and find the upper echelons of the West Division. It won’t be easy.

Problem. . . Chicago is off to its typical strong start (6-0-0-1). The Wolves score a ton of goals and Fred Brathwaite seems to have found his game in goal.

That’s bad news for the other teams in the West.

Usually, with questionable goaltending in the Atlanta system after Kari Lethonen was called up, teams could beat the Wolves by outscoring them. Not true anymore with Brathwaite’s rebirth.

Despite playing all their games on the road, last year’s Norfolk Admirals, now the Rockford IceHogs, have shown the rest of the league that you don’t necessarily have to have the fans cheering for you to win hockey games. They open their home schedule this week, and play four of their next five at home.

The Peoria Rivermen also look strong, backboned with two NHL caliber goaltenders in Marek Schwarz and Jason Bacashihua.

Quad Cities, last year’s Omaha Knights, also appear to be in the playoff hunt, as only four, possibly five, of the division’s eight teams will make the postseason. I say possibly five because if the West Division’s fifth place team has more standing points than the fourth place team in the North Division, the West team would get the postseason nod.

Milwaukee has given up one goal in its last three games. Pekka Renne is most likely the top goaltender in the division right now and the Admirals are consistently in the hunt to go deep in the playoffs.

So where does that leave the Rampage hopes?

Iowa’s defense has been struggling, although they beat the Admirals 1-0 Tuesday night.

The Aeros seem lost right now, trying to adjust to Kevin Constantine’s vision and Minnesota’s great NHL start with the help of some youthful players that might normally be part of the AHL roster (Stephane Veilleux, Matt Foy and James Sheppard to name a few and now you can add Cal Clutterbuck, who made his NHL debut with 7 minutes of ice time against Colorado Sunday). The Aeros were badly outshot again last night by tonight’s Rampage opponent, Syracuse,

You have to think the Rampage will be in the mix this season, if effort is any indicator. In the five home games this season, San Antonio players have out hustled opponents for the most part and outworked them as well. Clutch netminding is also the key to success, and so far, Tordjman hasn’t lost yet, and except for allowing three goals in nine minutes of the first Houston game, the Montreal native has given up just a goal a game. He’s currently the 6th best goalie in the league with a 1.68 goals against average and his save percentage of 94.4 ain’t too shabby either.

Odd that David Aebischer, with all his NHL expertise, is 0-2 since being assigned to San Antonio, and LeNeveu is 0-1-0-2.

Another issue is the looming road trip ahead. With the exception of the Nov. 9 game here with Worcester, the Rampage will play the next 10 games on the road up until Thanksgiving. The team has shown signs of playing well on enemy ice, but the record indicates improvement is necessary away from the AT&T Center (1-2-0-1).